Russian & German Immigrants: Marriage

Elle's Wedding

Elle had never felt more alone in the world then during the minutes and days after she left Marv for the last time. She had no one to turn to and no one to talk to. There was no listening ear she could trust with the high degree of heartbreak she carried. She felt so ashamed, really ashamed. Had she told her mother she may have been lectured but she just couldn’t bear to risk exposing her shame- not to anyone. Abortion was very illegal and even if it had been legal she would have been too afraid to do something so medically and morally dangerous. At that time for Elle an American woman of decency simply did not have a baby without being married. What she lived through was truly a “crisis pregnancy.” She just couldn’t have a baby and not be married. She had to have someone to marry!

Soon after Marv left her life Elle ran into an old friend named George. She and George were acquainted and had dated a few times before he left with one of his buddies to seek adventure out west in places like Montana.  After he served in the United States army he went after some of his adventures and dreams rather than just talking about but never doing them like so many of us. There are always plenty of reasons why our dreams, especially the crazy ones need to wait.

Both of George’s parents were Russian. His mother’s parents brought her form Russia to American as a baby while George’s father arrived when he was sixteen/. He never finished school and always spoke broken English and Russian at home. George, a first generation American and an artist by gifting, had courageously ventured out west to see what he could see which was more than most people have the courage to attempt. It just so happened that he had just recently returned from Montana when he and Elle ran into each other again.

George in the United States Army

George was a handsome and kind man whose creative, artistic ways were very winsome so he and Elle began dating that early spring. Around Easter time although they had dated for a short time poor Elle somehow tricked George into going to bed with her. Not long afterwards she let George know the news- she was expecting a baby and was scared.

Immediately George wanted to marry Elle because it was what needed to happen. Elle was uncertain and hesitant but George was insistent. He cried and cried that she had to marry him so she did. They had a wedding with their families present then found an apartment they moved into. George worked at the steel mill where many of the German immigrant men in her family worked while Elle became a homemaker and soon announced that she was expecting a baby. Everyone was thrilled for the happy couple.

George & Elle on their wedding day